Random thoughts and ramblings of an avid cyclist, bike shop owner and mechanic, lover of the outdoors, etc.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

I Was Barack Obama...

... in a really, really strange dream I had the other night!

Now, I've had my share of weird dreams, but this one was truly remarkable... and funny! I only remember one small fragment of it, but that fragment had me both amused and confused when I woke up.

There I was, Barack Obama, at some major social function, black tie sort of thing... a state dinner, or something like that maybe. It wasn't clear if it was before or after inauguration, but definitely after the election. I was standing around, talking to a couple of people, when somebody calls to me from across the room and says "Phone call for you! It's John McCain!" Just then, I hear the sound of the phone ringing... only it's nothing like a phone ring or ringtone that I've ever heard. I don't recall exactly what it was, but think something along the lines of a carillon or church bells or something, really loud, and you get the idea. Next thing I know, someone walks over to me and hands me... a large crab claw! The kind of claw you'd get from an Alaskan King Crab or something like that. I (Obama) calmly take it, snap it in two, then holding one piece to my ear and one to my mouth, like an old fashioned "candlestick" phone, I speak into it, saying "Hello!" And then I hear John McCain's voice on the other end, saying something I no longer remember.

That's it. That's all I remember of the whole dream. If there was more, it's lost to me.

So what the heck.....?!?!?!?!?!??

First, while I can understand dreaming ABOUT Obama just before the inauguration, I'm a little surprised that I dreamt I WAS Obama. Sure, in my dreams I've assumed many different identities, and even shift from one to another mid-dream sometimes. But why Obama? I don't really have those kinds of delusions of grandeur or aspirations to power.

And what the hell is it with the crab claw phone??????????? No, I haven't eaten crab, seen a crab, talked about crabs, thought about crabs or had anything to do with crabs in recent history. Nor have I encountered an unusual phone lately. Or watched an old episode of "Get Smart" even. I'm stumped.

Kind of funny though if you think about it... the "leader of the free world" as they sometimes call the American president... getting an important phone call on the CrabPhone (tm)! And here I grew up with the image of the "hotline" with the Kremlin, typically pictured as a red dial telephone. And all the while the real business of government has been conducted via crustacean parts!

well...you mentioned the "red" hotline...was the crab claw red? You mentioned a "black"-tie event...and Barak is black. You mentioned church bells with the (white) McCain. Maybe you identify with the younger,less(traditionally)religious black man than with the older, more religious white man? And you did grow up in Maryland and you live in Virginia...crab icons must be EVERYWHERE. There's my reading, for what it's worth! :)

Me at the 2009 Brompton World Championship

About Me

I'm a fiftysomething guy who loves bicycles and just about everything related to bicycles. I used to work in the field of theatrical technical production (scenery and lighting, primarily), but in the last 5 years have begun a career in the bicycle industry. I'm now the owner of bikes@vienna, a small, independent bike shop in Vienna, VA, that specializes in what other shops don't carry... specifically, recumbents and folding bikes. We also cater to folks with special needs who want to enjoy the outdoors on two or three wheels. When I'm not riding or working on bikes, I enjoy hiking and other outdoor activities, as well as reading and just hanging out with my cat.

What will you find here?

In general you can expect to see observations about what's going on in my life, as well as information and thoughts related to bicycles and bicycle repair and construction. I also seem to write a lot about Tybalt, my cat, or so I have been told.

What's with the name?

Well, I chose "Spokes of a Wheel" for several reasons... First, because I love bicycles, and in particular, the bicycle wheel. They are just amazing works of technology and art, in my opinion. Second, in a typical bicycle wheel, spokes radiate outward from a center, and cross and touch each other as they do... kinda like people, no? Finally, I am a native of the DC area, and I have always found it humorous that people try to explain the street "system" there as "like spokes in a wheel". Look at it sometime... or better yet, drive it, and tell me where you've seen such a bizarrely spoked wheel!